A DREAM GARDEN!

As I turn 70 years old today,  I marvel at the total xeriphytic landscape we have constructed in fall and winter of 2011 from which we are now seeing  results of our hard work.  It is truly a dream garden in every sense.  It requires little to no watering,  no chemical fertilizers or pesticides,  very little maintenance,  attracts wildlife of all sorts (birds, butterflies, amphibians, mammals, and beneficial insects such as honeybees ).  The use of native and adaptive plants provide a riot of color for all seasons, and it is durable and hardy.   We have received the City of Austin Green Garden Award, and have been certified by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife as a certified backyard habitat. – very important since we are destroying natural habitat for wildlife at an alarming rate.

We enjoy sitting on our new environmentally friendly composite and stainless steel wired deck which gives us a 180 degree view of it all.   We love to see and hear the purple martins who reside in our martin houses in spring,  followed by migratory and local birds feeding from our feeder or bathing in our birdbath.   Our selection of native plants is also a draw to other types of wildlife.   Being environmentally friendly is so easy and rewarding.   You just need to decide to do it.

We must get away from our old paradigm and custom that only a green turf grass lawn is acceptable and to be desired in our residential landscape.  First of all,  a solid area of samo samo green grass is boring.  To maintain it means using excessive amounts of our diminishing water supplies, plus chemical fertilizers and pesticides which easily wash into our storm sewers and into previously unpolluted water courses.  Then as the grass grows,  it’s constant mowing in our hot environment.  Lawn mowers are significant sources of CO₂  emissions which add  to global worming.  This all just doesn’t make good or common sense!

A water wise landscape (also referred to as xeriscape) doesn’t mean desert-looking, it means water saving.  Additionally it means much less effort required to maintain an aesthetically beautiful garden, while  protecting and enhancing our environment.   In our case, our front yard xeriscape doesn’t contain a single desert plant but looks like a natural woodland landscape – but with a big difference – use of native and adaptive plants., while reducing lawn area to 25% using native buffalo grass.

OK, I’m not into vegetable gardening.  Ours is entirely ornamental.  But, veggie gardens can we as water efficient as ornamentals.  I’m not really qualified to talk on that subject but know there is a wealth of information available should you choose to use part of your land area for this use.   The whole idea is to garden in harmony with our local environmental challenges.

Having lived on many different gardening environments (tropical southern Florida, northern Virginia, east Tennessee,  Houston and the Gulf Coast),  I have always “gone with the flow” and developed my gardens compatible with the local environment, and have found each geographic area capable of providing beautiful garden options using native and adaptive  plants.  I have always had hobby greenhouses to grow favorite plants from other climate areas (bromeliads, tropical, etc.), and integrate these plants into my summer garden while protecting them in winter in the greenhouse.  Yet, I marvel at what our challenging gardening environment in central Texas can provide us without having to import plants from other areas that won’t thrive or thrive so well, they become invasive.

Another wonderful advantage to a xeriscape is the ability to become really creative and artistic in designing, using a variety of live and inorganic materials, to create a natural look that says “This is central Texas”.   It is also easy to alter those designs if you wish to create a different look from time to time.  It’s creating something that is anything but boring.

Take a look at our xeriscaped back yard at www.centraltexasgardening.info/xeribackyard.html  and see what I am talking about.   It’s not a wild scape but uses native plants intentionally as part of an overall garden design.  You can also see how we went from a St. Augustine lawn, front, side and back, to a total xeriscaped yard at www.centraltexasgardening.info/xeriscapeproject.html .  Yes it took hard work and investment for materials, but the recurring rewards and benefits are so significant, I wish we had done it sooner.

I am a convert and now a strong advocate of xeriscaping.  Our large subdivision, Avery Ranch in Austin has adopted HOA approved guidelines and promotes this in conjunction with the City of Austin’s programs to conserve water and promote water-wise landscaping.     I have developed a love and appreciation for our local environment and note that this trend is catching on slowly but surely.

 

 

 

We now have our dream garden – never could I have thought that just surrendering to what our local environment allows and provides could create such a beautiful  setting in which to live and enjoy.   It took me 70 years to learn that lesson.!  Now we can truly slow down and smell the roses!

IN THE BLEAK MID WINTER – GARDENER’S PLAN!

As I write this,  it is bone-chilling, foggy, soggy, gray, and just plain “stay indoors” weather outside, but my mind is churning with thoughts and new ideas for the coming garden growing season ahead.  It’s the ideal time to be assessing what you have done the past year, what success has it had, what changes and improvements can be made, and what can we do this coming year that is different. 

This past year, we made dramatic changes to our landscaping, transforming the entire yard and garden from water consuming St. Augustine lawn to a totally xeriphytic design as seen on Central Texas Gardener’s Sept 15^th On-Tour segment, and as shown on our website, Central Texas Gardening.   The results have exceeded expectation and have saved this aging gardener much labor and stress this past year making it easy to maintain and enjoy a neat looking garden year-round. 

OK,  where do I go from there?  I am not a  type of gardener who wants to see the same thing year after year, so I must make some changes to add new interest to what was  planned to be a stable, maintenance free garden design.   Here’s where the fun comes in  and you can let loose those creative thoughts.

Let’s see – I can transplant,  replace and replant new native and adaptive plants,  move hardscaping features around to create different design effects,  and make further improvements to the existing garden.   Among those on my thought list include:

Add spotlighting to show off the backyard xeriscape garden at night

Complete a stepping stone pathway to make a 360 degree garden walkway around the house, currently  just 270 degrees.,

Create a more permanent and visually appealing compost bin

Move my washtub water lily garden from the deck and place it in the yard itself

Research other plant alternatives to those I have planted for possible replacement so I can experiment and learn first hand about their impact on attracting wildlife

Continue to study and learn about native and adaptive plant possibilities for our central Texas area that I hadn’t considered previously

So, it’s not the time to be digging or planting, but visions of “what if’s” keep dancing in my head as I envision possible changes that would add new interest in the coming year.    Wish I could take a photo of some of them as they keep me happily thinking about the ever changing  joys of gardening and bring home the realization that an ornamental garden is perpetually a work in progress, and would be boring if it weren’t. 

Don’t let the bleak days of mid winter dull your senses and enthusiasm as these days are as important to take advantage of as your active seasonal gardening days outdoors.    Start your planning process now!  What get’s put on paper, generally get’s done and stimulates our longing to be actively out in the garden again. 

ARE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS “PROFESSIONAL”?

You hire a “landscape professional” because they should, and you assume they do,  know their business and are knowledgeable about horticulture, right?  Bad assumption!  This is one service profession that uses more unskilled labor than most, which are often sent to do work not properly trained and/or unsupervised, and can burn you big time by making critical mistakes that are more costly to you in the long run.  Since a majority of such these very hard working people are Spanish speaking, communications can be a problem.  Whether it be to construct a new landscape or maintain an existing one, certain practices used are just plain incorrect and will lead to undesired results. Some of the biggies include:

Mowing lawn at improper heights

Use of weed and feed chemicals – a real no-no!

Fertilizing at the wrong time of year

Pruning trees and shrubs at wrong time of year

“Crepe Murder” and butchering rather than properly pruning plants other than Crepe myrtle.

Mulching incorrectly (piling mulch around base of trees)

Planting and staking trees incorrectly resulting in girdling and injury

This is not to say that there aren’t true professionals out there who really know their business.  It is just a warning to be careful who you hire before spending the big bucks for their services.  One way to prevent this is to become more knowledgeable yourself and learn proper gardening and landscaping practices even though you hire out the labor.   Let’s briefly go through the list above.

Mowing lawn at improper heights:  Different turf grasses require different maintenance practices.  St. Augustine should be mowed at no less than 3” high as this warm weather grass requires moisture around the roots and taller cuts shade  the roots to reduce ground water evaporation.  Zoysia and Bermuda can be cut to 1 to 2 inches high but also benefit from not being scalped.  A scalped lawn will suffer greatly during drought and extreme heat.   Buffalo grass should rarely be mowed and if trimmed, left to 3-4” height.

Use of Weed and Feed products:  This is a scam to say the least.  The weed killer is for pre-emerging weed seed only and should be applied during late before germination whereas the feed elements are of no use for warm weather grasses until late spring and early summer when active growth begins.  The toxicity of the weed killer can also kill your trees and shrubs.   Don’t waste your money on these and help keep our environment healthy.

Fertilizing at the wrong time of year:  When plants are entering or in natural dormancy, they should never be fertilized.  When plants/lawns begin active growth is the proper time to do this.  There is no better fertilizer than natural compost and other organic fertilizers which aid in feeding the micro-organisms in the soil that are beneficial to plant root growth.   Knowing the right fertilizer formula and elements and when to apply them is also important.  To do otherwise could cause harm to your plants/lawn and just waste money.

Pruning trees and shrubs at the wrong time of year:  In the case of Live Oak and Red Oaks,  pruning from February thru June is a no-no!  This is when the tiny Nitidulid Beetle which spreads this disease is most active. Other pruning, e.g. shrubs, should be done in fall for deciduous plants and spring for evergreens as pruning encourages new growth and the season must be right for this.

“Crepe Murder”:  Never prune more than one-third of any shrub at any time.  A major crime to your crepe myrtles is to cut them back more than that, or in the case of mature plants, only tip prune old seed pods when dormant and if out of reach, don’t prune at all.  Cutting back severely causes weakened supportive growth and stunting.   Proper pruning can help you shape your plant or small tree when done at the correct time as mentioned above.  A tall shrub can be pruned to grow tree-form or as a shaped shrub over time.  You can always prune more, but never replace portions of a plant once cut.

Mulching incorrectly:  Placing a mound of mulch around a shrub or tree base (known as volcano mulching) does more harm than good.  Somehow, landscapers get the idea that this looks good, so why not do it.  Here’s why.  There is a distinct separation of plant growth zones between roots and the above ground growth (stem/trunk).  If part of the trunk is buried, those plant cells will differentiate and begin producing roots above ground level, plus bark can be more easily infected by disease organisms.  The benefits of mulching are tremendous, but not in contact with the base of plants or trees.

Planting and staking trees incorrectly:  When a new tree is planted, it is always best to start with as small a plant as is acceptable, knowing it will take so many years for it to grow to maturity.  In the case of planting more mature trees, often stakes with padded wires are looped around the trunk are attached to provide stability while roots are getting established.  Never should such staking last more than 2 years, or even less if possible.  The trees are growing in width as well as height and the  expanding trunk will override the attached supports this weakening the trunk or even girdling it which will result in death of the tree.  Staking should only be done if absolutely necessary!

This covers some of the biggest, but not all the mistakes I’ve observed on a recurring basis.  So, when in doubt about whether a landscaping or maintenance contractor is doing the right thing,  try consulting third party  knowledgeable, sources for advice, such as trained master gardeners, or persons affiliated with non-profit horticultural help organizations.   “Let the buyer beware” especially applies to the professional landscape and maintenance businesses which are not subject to following accepted  and proven horticultural practices.   The customer pays the price in more ways than one.  Below are some examples of plant crimes committed by landscape professionals!   I love the picture of the topped Agave! It’s too sad to be funny!

LANDSCAPE DESIGN USING MS OFFICE

If you want to go to the next step up from hand drawing and sketching a landscape plan, you need not buy fancy or specialized landscaping software to do so.

If you have MS Office for Windows or Mac on your computer, you have landscape design software!   After frustration exploring various landscape software, none of which did all that I wanted and involved a new learning curve to use it effectively,  I discovered that everything the homeowner and average gardener needs is contained in your basic MS Office package (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word).   OK, you can’t create professional 3D designs, but in the planning process, you can do 2D layouts with Excel,  pictures of proposed plantings as a PowerPoint collage, and description of a landscape in Word.

First, you need to do some actual measuring of your garden area and sketch the dimensions on a pad,  then using Excel, set column width equal to row height and you have graph paper.  The size will depend on the area you are designing.  A front or back yard might have a general master layout with sub pages for defined area in order to allow for more detail – a Workbook containing several worksheets.   So, if each box equals 1 square foot (or other designation), that provides the measurement aspect.  In Excel, you can draw area borders, insert and edit shapes and lines, insert text boxes, using different line and area fills or even pictures inserted into a shape as a fill.  The tools are there to support your creativity.  Who says Excel is only good for spreadsheets!

HERE IS A CHURCH MEMORIAL  GARDEN DESIGN DONE WITH MS EXCEL

 In PowerPoint, I like to supplement an Excel layout with pictures of the various plants proposed.  The same tools that are in Excel are available in PowerPoint, including direct importing of pictures onto a page to create a collage of plant materials.  You can use the various shapes, edit them for color or fill to create landscape symbols that can be copied from a PowerPoint page onto the Excel layout grid, then resizing according to the plants ultimate spread and the grid.  I even go as far as to put a colored border on plant shapes to reflect the color of the flower that plant will produce, or a fill that reflects the plants foliage color.  Centers can be left blank for deciduous, filled to reflect evergreen  or gradient to reflect semi-evergreen.   Hardscape items such as fountains, containers, stepping stones, benches, vines, bordering bricks, etc can also be developed in this manner using the drawing tools in this software.  So you can develop your own landscape symbols using this common software.

BELOW IS A POWERPOINT COLLAGE SHOWING PLANTS SELECTED IN THE DESIGN

Finally,  I use Word to provide description, materials needed, work phasing, cost estimates or any other narrative that helps define or describe the landscape plan. Then I create a folder and insert the layout plan in Excel, plant and hardscape pictures in PowerPoint, and Word documents describing and supporting the plan.

If you are a professional landscape designer, you can purchase landscaping 3D software costing up to $400 to make an impressive presentation for clients.  But if you are a homeowner and gardener, you can use your existing MS Office software to do the same thing (less the height and depth dimensions that 3D provides) for no additional expenditure.   Another problem with professional software is that it will contain images of plants not appropriate for central Texas, so you’re paying for features that are not applicable.

In this post, I have provided a few examples.  Give it a try and put your everyday software to use in a new way to design your landscape.

OUR XERISCAPE TRANSITION ON KLRU-TV

We were honored to have the CENTRAL TEXAS GARDENER (CTG) show on KLRU-TV in Austin (PBS) do a feature segment on our total yard, water wise, environmentally friendly, xeriscape transition from a traditional lawn. Appearing as the “On Tour” segment Sept. 15, 2012,  this allowed us to show and encourage others to consider this wise approach to landscaping and gardening in light of an ongoing drought and water supply shortage in Central Texas.  We thank CTG producer Linda Lehmusvirta and her crew for their expertise and talent in producing this segment.  

Please take time to view this 10 minute video on YouTube.  It’s as easy as clinking on the link, set full screen viewing and HD quality setting.   

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqT3Oi-MPMs&feature=em-uploademail

REFLECTIONS ON A XERISCAPE

In fall of 2011, we stripped our entire yard of St. Augustine grass (mostly dead after the record heat and drought of summer), and did a completely  xeriphytic landscape, front and back.  BEST MOVE WE EVER MADE!    It was hard work as we – nearing 70 senior citizens – did 90% of it, and it took a chunk out of our budget for the materials, but the rewards we are enjoying this summer rivals that of an Olympian receiving a gold medal.   That investment in time, energy, and resources, or better expressed as “the up front investment”, has reaped enormous reward.

Reflecting on it now, in the middle of summer 2012, we:

1. Don’t have to spend hours mowing a lawn in the hot and muggy weather

2. Don’t have to water, except in prolonged dry spells –  saving water and dollars.

3. Enjoy a beautiful, self sustaining garden-type landscape from indoors.

4. Enjoy seeing the various wildlife that are attracted to a natural type landscape

5, Do minimal maintenance, which can be easily done within an hour in early morning.

6. Have time to enjoy other pursuits due to less time needed to maintain it.

7. Don’t worry about losing plants due to severe heat or cold using adaptive plants

8. Have created a yard of interest and diversity to be enjoyed by the neighborhood

9. Enjoy having the yard look good at all times

Does this mean we can just sit back and forget about the yard?  NO, not at all.  Leaf drop in fall,  weed infestation,  watering plants in containers,  limited edging, and trimming of shrubs as needed still remain on the maintenance chore list.  But by walking the yard regularly,  a list of needed chores can be made and done during the cooler part of the day.  By not putting off these minor chores,  maintenance becomes a less stressful and strenuous thing.   Also the  very design of the xeriscapes can reduce maintenance needs.  There is no such thing as a maintenance free yard , but the degree and amount of maintenance can be greatly reduced.  This is something to appreciate in the heat of summer in central Texas

What about changing the look of the garden occasionally.  A xeriscape need not be a static or permanent thing.   During appropriate times of the year, plants can be transplanted, replaced with something different without further bed preparation once the basic xeriscapes design is created,  Hardscape materials can be moved or added to give a different look,   Seasonal plants can always be integrated at any time.

Experience is said to be the best teacher, so now that we have had the experience of making a transition to a xeriscaped yard,  we are eager to share our evaluation of this effort.   We learned:

1. Planning and designing well ahead is critical to success – on paper, researched, well thought out.   Check for HOA restrictions and guidelines first.

2. It is advantageous to stockpile materials (rocks and other natural items to be used) in advance to facilitate a smooth work schedule.

3. Fall and winter are the best times to do the construction  when it’s comfortable weather and more importantly, plants have an opportunity to become established by spring.  If planting in spring, do so as early as possible.

4. Doing the project in realistic segments and time phases allowed mid stream adjustments to be made.   Even the best laid plans can go astray or have faults.

5. We found stripping existing lawn with a weed eater to work very well – and the finely cut grass can be raked to create wonderful compost.

6. Do expect to lose some of your initial plantings.  Even though native and xeriphytic, they need more water up front and time to get their roots established, but there may be a few casualties.

7. Use the City of Austin’s Grow Green free booklet and other grow green free resources for choosing appropriate native and adaptive plants.  It has all the information you need to make good choices.

The only mistakes made during our experience was that some plant choices didn’t work well,  requiring replanting with a different selection.  The reason why more mistakes weren’t made was that we took so much time up front to design and plan well – the old “ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure” approach.

Does all this seem overwhelming to you by now.  Believe me, it’s all worth it!  We have years of relatively carefree gardening and landscape maintenance ahead and can sit back and marvel at the benefits of a xeriphytic landscape.  Life has become more enjoyable, less stressful, and to repeat, it’s the  “BEST MOVE WE EVER MADE”`.

You can see the story about our xeriscapes transition to be aired September 15^th on KLRU-TV’s Central Texas Gardener show which will also be on YouTube afterward.   We hope you will consider the value and benefit of  making the move to a xeriscaped yard.  It makes so much sense and is so rewarding as we can personally testify.

ADD SOME SPECIMEN PLANTS TO YOUR GARDEN

Specimen plant?  What’s that?  It is any plant that is really different, enough so as to catch the eye and draw attention to it’s uniqueness.  It’s one that stands out as if to tell the visitor to your garden, “bet you haven’t seen me before”.  Now why would you want to plant that?  Simply to add interest to your garden just as you might do if you had something whimsical or a unique piece of natural or manmade hardscaping.

There are so many possibilities for finding that unique or rare specimen plant but these criteria must first be met.   It must be a native or adaptive plant that will survive and grow well in our unique growing region.  Often such a plant is a cultivar of a species that falls into the native and adaptive category.  Secondly, you must know in advance where this “eye catcher” will be located in your garden so as to compliment, not detract from the overall landscape composition.   Often such plants will be on the expensive side as they are not commonly grown for the nursery trade.    

Some hardy specimen plants I have had success with in my Austin garden over the past 5 years and recommend include the following:

Thuja occidentalis ‘filaformis’:  This is a cultivar of Arborvitae with long drooping string-like foliage up to 12 inches long – definitely a weeper.  The foliage acquires a different winter coloration during cold weather.  It is the focal point of our front yard landscape, which also features weeping yaupon holly.  Arborvitae is adaptable to our area and is evergreen.

Ilex vomitoria ‘pendula:  A weeping form of Yaupon Holly that actually grows to small tree proportion.  This female cultivar produces abundance of red berries to compliment it’s unique weeping growth habit but needs space.  

Ilex vomitoria ‘Will Fleming” (male), and “Scarlet’s Peak (female) upright yaupon hollies.   These cultivars are fastigiate and excellent for  small garden space or corner areas, taking up less than 4 sq. ft.   Scarlet’s peak is a relatively new introduction which produces red berries in winter whereas the Will Fleming is a pollinator for it along with any other nearby Yaupon. 

Saphora secundifolia ‘silver peso’’-  Would you believe a Texas Mountain Laurel with grey/silver pubescent foliage which produces the same grape scented  blooms we love in spring?   This may be hard to find but well worth the effort as this plant provides a silver leafed alternative to the common TX mountain laurel. It would be a feature specimen plant in any southwest type garden.

Cycas panzhihuaensis:  This cycad was a recent 20^th century find in China and is totally cold hardy in Central Texas.  It has bluish green fronds that eminate from the base and produces an attractive evergreen rosette.  Give it space as the fronds get to 3-4’ long.  

Raphypidophyllum histrix:   Known as the needle palm since is produces black needle-like structures from the base, this evergreen palm is the most cold hardy in the world.  It gets to around 4’ tall maximum with a nice rosette spread.    Fan leafed palms make great specimen plants as they show well as the feature plant in any garden.

Silver-leafed Hardy Palms:  This is a category of plants that would include all silver leafed forms of cold hardy palms such as Nannorrhops ritchiana, Serenoa repens, Brahea armata, Trithrynax  compestris, and Chamerops humilis var. cerifera, all of which offer a different eye catching look as a specimen plant.

Morus australis ‘unryu” (tortuosa):  This is a fast growing tree with twists and turns that are amazing.  It’s contorted shape amaze all during winter and shows well when fully foliated with it’s large leaves.  Give this plenty of room.  As a vigorous grower, It may need come control pruning

Some variegated plants that show off well as specimen plants include:

Hybiscus syriacus ‘American Irene Scott’:  The boldly white marginal variegated foliage will draw attention to this plant, especially when double pink blooms adorn it as well in summer.  Being deciduous, it will only “show off” spring to fall.

Eleagnus pungens ‘maculata’ :  There are several cultivars of variegated Eleagnus but this cultivar is the most striking and adds bright contrasting color to your garden year round.  It grow much slower than a non-variegated Eleagnus. 

Yucca aloifolia ‘marginata’:  This is a very colorful tall, slender, clumping Yucca known in the Southeast as “Spanish bayonet”  The streaked green to chartruse to yellow variegation stands out.  Keep away from children play areas or walkways. 

Some examples of good specimen plants for large containers include:

Cornus drummondii ;  This native East Texas dogwood can only be grown well in a large container with soil to it’s liking, organic and slightly acidic, but makes a great specimen plant for a shady or part shady area.

Olea europea ‘Little Ollie’”  This is a dwarf Olive tree that is attractively shaped, evergreen and takes our dryness and heat well.  Although it can be grown in-situ, it looks great as a container specimen plant.

These are only a few of many unusual or specimen plants that can be used in your garden or landscape, but a word of caution here.  A specimen plant should draw attention to the entire garden, not steal the show.   It should add visual stimulus to your overall garden and be compatible with everything around it.

So look for that special spot and be thinking about how you can use specimen plants in addition to whimsical and hard scape items to add variety and stimulus to your garden’s overall appearance. 

That thread leafed Arborvitae we have in the front has drawn so much attention to our overall front yard xeriscape.  It’s done it’s job well!

WHAT IS A GOOD PLANT NURSERY?

Spring is here and the urge to revitalize your garden is overwhelming.  Let’s go get some new plants!  Well, from where?  There are many nurseries from which to select for purchasing your plant needs..  Some are top notch and some shouldn’t even be in the business,.  So how is the average gardener and plant consumer to know the difference? Here are some criteria for rating and choosing a Central Texas nursery with which to do business.

Does the nursery stock a wide variety of plants that are ideal or suitable for your area?

This criteria is a big plus in rating any nursery.  In Austin where water-wise gardening is actively promoted and a free 52 page Grow Green book is available to help gardeners make good plant choices, a good nursery would stock or regularly carry a wide variety of these native and adaptive plants as choice and availability need to go hand in hand.

Does the nursery try to market plants not meant to be grown for your area?

Conversely, if a nursery is selling plants suited for other areas of the country or climate zones, this is a red flag that this nursery is simply marketing plants based on appeal to the unwary and impulsive buyer., and has little knowledge of what grows best in Central Texas.

Does the nursery recognize & use botanical names for the plants they sell?

There is only one correct and universally recognized name for each plant and to make sure you are getting the real thing, correct botanical names are a must in addition to popular common names.  Cultivar, hybrid, and variety names allow the buyer to research and get information about plants they buy or want.  Take a look at this sales slip and see what information it conveys – the botanical name along with the more commonly recognized name.

Is the staff trained and knowledgeable about the plants they sell?

A sure clue as to the competency of nursery staff is to request a plant by it’s botanical name and see the reaction – either HUH! or they find that plant quicklyIf they don’t know, they have the resources to research it on the spot – internet access, reference books, etc.  A weil trained and knowledgeable staff can tell you all you need to know in order to grow that plant well or as a basis for choosing it.

Are plants labeled well and correctly?

Do the plants in stock have a proper and correct identification and in some cases, information about the plant and how to grow it included?  Are prices clearly noted?  Nothing is more frustrating than to find a plant you like and have no idea, nor does the staff, of what it is – e.g.  labeled “cactus”, “tropical plant” or “succulent” – Duh!

Are the plants kept in healthy condition until sold?

Does a nursery order or propagate fresh stock regularly and sell their stock within one year?  Last year’s stock is a little risky to buy.  Are their plants trimmed back to maintain good shape and health,  Are plants in appropriate sized containers relative to size?  When you pull a pot bound plant out of a container, are the roots white or brown (alive or dead), and appearing healthy.  Are sickly plants removed from stock?  Are plants watered frequently to maintain good health?

Will a nursery try to find and acquire plants you want that are not in stock?

No nursery can carry everything you want or seek, but a good nursery will take requests, know their wholesale sources, and attempt to acquire plants you need or want.  Other nurseries will merely say they don’t have it or don’t sell it and not go beyond that level of help.  Keeping a customer happy by helping to get the specific plants being sought is a big plus in the customer service category.

Does the establishment sell only plants and related gardening products?

How many stores have you seen selling plants where the plants are a sidelight or a way to get you to spend more for something when you are shopping for something else?   These places are marketing goods to the impulse buyer, not doing the gardener any favors.  Let’s see,  plants at HEB, Drug Stores, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot,  etc don’t qualify as a reputable plant nursery nor do the sales staff really know what they are selling

Is the nursery layout user friendly and easy to find desired plants?

It is pretty frustrating to go to a nursery and see plants everywhere, but what is located where?  Is signage good and customer friendly?  Are plants of like or comparative kind logically located together for comparison?  Are pathways and access to plant stock clear and easy to navigate?  Can staff easily find a plant for you?

Are plants at the nursery reasonably priced relative to actual size? 

Ah, and then there is the bottom line – prices.   The cost of buying plants has risen significantly in recent years due to increased transportation costs from grower to retailer so price becomes a shoppers concern.  Are you getting the best deal and your money’s worth?   A local nursery that propagates much of it’s stock can sell it for less than the same plant ordered from CA and trucked to market.   Plants are priced by container size.  I have seen plants in one gallon size that were much larger and more mature than the same plants in 3 gallon containers, but the price differential is significant.  A good nursery will price and package plants according to size, quality, and actual cost to them with reasonable profit margin, rather than try to prematurely upgrade a plant to a larger container to increase profit margin.  It’s just part of giving the customer a fair price and value with their purchase.

Now the next time you go shopping for plants at your local nursery, ask yourself all these questions or make a checklist and rate the nurseries you visit.  There is one nursery in Austin that I highly rated in all categories which inspired this article but I won’t reveal that so you can find it for yourself.  Good Luck.

PLANT CULTIVARS / FORMS THAT SOLVE PROBLEMS

In the horticultural world, countless numbers of plant cultivars have been discovered and propagated to produce more desirable forms of desired plants. These include dwarf or other growth forms (such as upright, pendulous, prostrate);  foliage color and texture (including variegations, leaf color, leaf forms); and improved adaptability(including tolerance to environmental or climatic conditions that are better than the species) .  There are so many new cultivars being created that growers can’t keep up with them., so they are less known or often hard to find.

A cultivar is a subdivision of a variety/species that identifies a plant characteristic which originated in nature but can only be replicated by asexual reproduction and human intervention.  In other words, it is a sport and began as a genetic mutation that was discovered by someone and reproduced as a clone

I even discovered one of these mutations but was unable to save it as a new cultivar – a variegated yaupon holly.  To this day, there. still is no variegated form of this plant in the horticultural trade.     I did discover a variegated form of Hamelia patens which lives to this day in my garden and is recognized on Dave’s Garden named “Beyer’s Variegated’.  So anyone with a sharp eye can discover a new cultivar of any plant.  Some are worthy of marketing, many are not but are novelties.

Here’s an example of how cultivars of desired plants can help solve garden and landscape problems.  Most of us live in small residential sized yard communities where space is limited.  We recently converted our entire yard to xeriscaping where perennials and shrubs take the place of turf grass.   We researched native and adaptive plants that met requirements of ranging from 1 to no taller than 3’ height, both deciduous, hardy, and evergreen.  Our desired plant choices included use of Jerusalem Sage,  Copper Canyon Daisy Texas Sage, and Fragrant Sumac, but all these plants grow to 6’and larger.

Research on the internet found dwarf cultivars or forms of each of these plants –  Phlomis lanata, a dwarf Jerusalem sage that gets no higher than 3’, albeit a different species rather than a cultivar; Tagates lemmonnii ‘compacta’, a cultivar of Copper Canyon Daisy that remains compact;  ‘Siverado’, a dwarf form of the Texas Sage that grows compact and can easily be maintained at a small size, and ‘Gro-low’, a cultivar of Fragrant Sumac that stays 2’ tall and spreads to 6’.  Another example of a problem solving cultivar is the upright yaupon. Ilex vomitoria ‘Will Fleming’ discovered in Hempstead, Texas.  There was recently introduced a female, berry producing cultivar of the upright Yaupon named “Scarlet’s Peak”.   This plant is ideal for a corner planting and takes up only a square foot of ground space.  There is a dwarf cultivar of Hamelia patens that is much smaller than the species but provides the same ornamental features in smaller size.  Then there is Miscanthus sinensis ‘gold bar, a dwarf cultivar of the Zebra grass – itself a cultivar,  that gets only 2’ tall rather than over 5; tall.   Then there is the dwarf cultivar of Mexican Bush Sage called “Santa Barbara” which is very compact but retains the desirable characteristics of the species.  In the way of desired shrubs for our area, the dwarf Pomegranite and dwarf Barbados Cherry are highly desirable over the much larger natural species.  Dwarf forms of Crepe Myrtle abound.  There is even a dwarf species of the fast growing Wax Myrtle that stays below 4’ – Myrica pusilla..  So you may not have to give up growing a plant you like because it gets to big.

In fact,  so many plants that we desire to have in our gardens may come in a dwarf, space saving, problem solving form.  The first challenge is to find them through internet research, then find a source, or a retail nursery willing to order it from a grower for you.  I focus this article on dwarf and compact forms of plants because with limited space, they allow you to grow a larger variety of plants in a given amount of space, which adds interest and variety to your garden.  They reduce maintenance chores as well by growing much slower.  Do keep in mind that variegated plant cultivars also grow at a much slower rate than the parent plants and can also help in space limited areas.

Ironically, I discovered a perennial plant for my garden that went the opposite direction – a shrub form of Verbena rather than the prostrate ground cover form I was accustomed to.  I am amazed at how many varieties and forms there are of our favorite garden plants that can fit a specific need or niche in our gardens. An excellent example of this is the research Texas A&M has done with ‘earthkind’ roses to develop and introduce water saving, drought tolerant, and disease resistant roses which are a favorite plant for our gardens and landscapes.

On my wish list of new cultivar discoveries that haven’t been found yet includes a dwarf form of Yellow Bells Esperanza.  Wouldn’t that be something!  Well, maybe someday.  New cultivars are being discovered all the time and introduced into the nursery trade. Be looking for them.  I sure am!

Pictured below are examples of dwarf cultivars that save space.  Top to bottom, left to right are Miscanthus sinensis ‘gold bar’ (dwarf zebra grass),  Phlomis lanata (dwarf Jerusalem sage),  Tagates lemmonii ‘compacta’ (dwarf copper canyon daisy), and Hamelia patens ‘nana ‘ (dwarf hummingbird bush).

A NEW YEAR AND NEW GARDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Gardeners – get out of your beds  (pun fully intended) and into your study.  A new gardening year awaits your attention.  What are your gardening intentions for the new year?  What get’s created should be planned before and  maintained afterward, not just enjoyed when in prime time.   So get your thinking hats on and think out of the box (you know, that old rut that says follow me and I will lead you nowhere new). Here are some ideas for your new garden year

Use internet resources more to learn about new plants and gardening in your specific area.   Get to know what you grow.

Once you’ve done your homework, grow plants you never have had experience with in the past (especially natives and adaptives).

Plan your gardens to succeed within the environmental and climatic realities, rather than preferences.   Learn when is the proper time to make changes.

Break a few pencil leads and wear down a few erasers to put ideas on paper first, then analyze, revise, and improvise until you are satisfied.

Develop a gardening strategy for years into the future, not just the coming year.   For example, intentionally make changes so you garden will have a new look from year to year.  Those changes can be to hardscaping, area design, choice of plants, etc.    A garden is always a work in process and never completed!

Become active with other gardener groups, networks, and organizations to learn and share experiences that will be mutually beneficial.  Share and swap plants with other gardeners.  Make gardening a social activity in your life.

Resolve to be an environmentally friendly gardener – no use of chemical pesticides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers.  Go organic, use more compost, and learn how to be a water saving gardener.

If not already, consider becoming a Master Gardener.  The training you’ll receive is equivalent to a short college level course in horticulture designed for our local level, and the opportunity to serve the local gardening community is rewarding.

Resolve to enjoy your garden more and in new ways, such as photographing the beauty of it,  learning how to propagate more plants,  adding artistry to the garden, or developing new ways to reduce maintenance needs.

Winter is an excellent time to do structural changes to your garden, e.g. add new hardscaping, develop and nurture new beds,  and any other preparatory work needed to ensure garden and landscaping success during the upcoming growing season. 

Thinking out of the box will be my goal for 2012.  My gardening has always been focused on perennials and ornamentals, and I have resisted seasonal gardening such as growing veggies.  I have redeveloped my gardening space to allow space for a vegetable garden this year – a new experience for an old gardener.

In view of the harsh summer of 2011, I have been gradually shifting my choice of plants from tender tropical and special care plants to native, adaptable, and tough plants that will endure our climatic extremes in Central Texas.   We have completed the front yard phase, and are continuing to completely redevelop the rest of our yard to be xeriphytic and find that quite liberating in terms of reducing personal stress in addition to the physical stress on our plants.

The most important thing is to garden “intentionally”, not impulsively or haphazardly and there is no better time to begin the process of planning for the new garden season than during the dormant winter months where physical gardening activity comes to a standstill.  Use this time to plant some new thoughts (yes pun intended again) before it’s time to plant new plants for the coming garden season.